M12

M12 (Stock)

Totals

1400000 Price

350 Hit Points

26.76 / 27 kgWeight

Crew

1. Commander

Armor

50.8/19.1/19.1Hull Armor(front/sides/rear, mm)

19.1/0/0Turret Armor(front/sides/rear, mm)

Maneuver

400 h.p.Engine Power

38.6 km/hSpeed Limit

18 deg/secTraverse Speed

Firepower

950 Standard Shell Damage

85 mmStandard Shell Penetration

19 Time for Complete Loading

12 deg/secTurret Traverse Speed

Communication

370 mView Range

325 mSignal Range

M44

M12

M40/M43

VII

1400000

The M12 was developed by the Rock Island Arsenal, with a total of 100 vehicles manufactured. American soldiers dubbed the vehicle King Kong. The M12 fought well in battles on the Siegfried Line.

It is not all that different from the M41. As is par for the American SPGs it has a slow hull traverse speed, but a respectable top speed and acceleration.

• Obj-135
• T-50M
• M12

Obj-135

Stock

T-50M

	Level	Gun	Weight (t)	Average Penetration (mm)		Rate of Fire	Dispersion at 100 m	Aiming Time
	VI	155 mm Gun M1918M1	3953	85/90	950/950	3.16	0.76	7

	Level	Engine	Weight (t)	Engine Power (h.p.)	Chance of Fire on Impact
	IV	Wright Continental R-975C1	516	400	20

	Level	Suspension	Weight (t)	Load Limit	Traverse Speed (deg/s)
	VI	M12T48	11000	27	18

	Level	Radio	Weight (t)	Signal Range (m)
	IV	SCR 510	0	325

T-50M

Speed

	Level	Gun	Weight (t)	Average Penetration (mm)		Rate of Fire	Dispersion at 100 m	Aiming Time
	VI	155 mm Gun M1918M1	3953	85/90	950/950	3.16	0.76	7

	Level	Engine	Weight (t)	Engine Power (h.p.)	Chance of Fire on Impact
	V	Wright Continental R-975C4	550	460	20

	Level	Suspension	Weight (t)	Load Limit	Traverse Speed (deg/s)
	VII	M12T51	11000	29.5	20

	Level	Radio	Weight (t)	Signal Range (m)
	VI	SCR 610	0	420

M12

Attack

M40/M43

	Level	Gun	Weight (t)	Average Penetration (mm)		Rate of Fire	Dispersion at 100 m	Aiming Time
	VII	155 mm Gun M1A1	4352	88/90	1250/1250	2.47	0.72	7.5

	Level	Engine	Weight (t)	Engine Power (h.p.)	Chance of Fire on Impact
	VI	Ford GAA early	708	500	20

	Level	Suspension	Weight (t)	Load Limit	Traverse Speed (deg/s)
	VII	M12T51	11000	29.5	20

	Level	Radio	Weight (t)	Signal Range (m)
	X	SCR 619	0	750

Compatible Equipment

Compatible Consumables

Player Opinion

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Gun range: stock: 1350 m, top: 1400 m
• Good damage
• Good accuracy
• Good gun arc

Cons:

• Horrible traverse speed

Performance

After firing 500 shots with the tank's M1A1, you'll get the feeling that most of its damage comes from splash and so called 'lucky shots', and not so much from clean hits. Add low penetration value to the mix, and it becomes a rarity that you'll hit for more than 1.000 damage. Expect to do around half that (500ish). When aiming, the lack of traverse speed is compensated by the good horizontal gun arc, reducing your need to turn before shooting.

Early Research

• install Radio from previous SPG (M41)
• install Engine researched by T40 or M3 Lee
• research suspension first
• research gun next

Historical Info

M12 155mm self-propelled gun firing across the Moselle River in France, 1944.

The 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M12 was a U.S. self-propelled gun developed during the Second World War. Only 100 were built; 60 in 1942 and a further 40 in 1943. It mounted a 155 mm gun M1917, M1917A1, or M1918 M1, depending upon availability: a weapon derived from the nearly identical French 155 mm GPF gun of World War I vintage. The M12 was built on the chassis of the M3 Lee tank (some sources claim that later M12 used the M4 Sherman chassis, but this might be a confusion with the M12's use of "Sherman-style" bogie trucks with trailing idlers). It had an armored driver's compartment, but the gun crew were located in an open topped area at the back of the vehicle. An earth spade (similar to a bulldozer blade) at the rear was employed to absorb recoil. This layout, a large gun mounted in an open mount at the rear with a spade, was the pattern adopted for many years by other heavy self-propelled artillery.

During 1943, the vehicles were used for training or put into storage. Before the invasion of France, 74 M12s were upgraded in preparation for combat operations. They were employed successfully throughout the campaign in NW-Europe. Although designed primarily for indirect fire, during assaults on heavy fortifications, the M12s were sometimes employed in a direct-fire role.

Limited storage space meant that only 10 projectiles and propellant charges could be carried on the vehicle. Given this, a similar vehicle, but without the gun, was produced as the Cargo Carrier M30. This was designed to transport the gun crew and additional ammunition. In operational conditions, the M12 and M30 would serve in pairs. The M30 was armed with a .50-caliber Browning M2 machine gun. It could carry 40 rounds of 155 mm ammunition.

The sole surviving M12 GMC is displayed at the Fort Sill museum [1]. It was stored at the United States Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA, before being transferred to Fort Sill in November 2010.

click to read more...

Historical Gallery

• 

  The M12

• 

  M12 deployed on the field

• 

  M12 in Germany

Sources and External Links

Sources

• Leland Ness(2002)Janes World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles, Harper Collins, ISBN 0-00-711228-9

External Links

• [WWII vehicles]
• [AFV database]

USA

Self-Propelled Guns

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